Perry highest music earner of the year

Katy Perry performs at the David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York on Wednesday.

She didn’t make as many headlines, nor sell as many albums, but Katy Perry handily beat Taylor Swift to become the highest-earning woman in music this year, according to Forbes.

Perry, 31, earned $135 million in the past 12 months, thanks to a huge worldwide “Prismatic” tour and endorsements deals with beauty companies like Coty and CoverGirl, Forbes estimated.

Swift, 25, was a distant second, with an estimated $80 million, despite some 8.6 million sales globally for her “1989” hit album and the start of a world tour.

Perry’s latest album “Prism” has sold some four million worldwide since its release in 2013 and the “Roar” singer has been touring for most of the year.

British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac was placed third with $59.5 million although only two of its five current line-up are women. Nevertheless, the return of 1970s veterans Stevie Nicks and Christine McVeigh was seen as a key to the success of the band’s year-long tour “On With the Show,” Forbes said.

Lady Gaga was ranked fourth with $59 million — a long way behind her 2011 peak of $90 million when she was grabbing headlines with outrageous stunts and costumes.

Last year’s top earner Beyonce slipped to 5th place with an estimated $54.5 million.

The Forbes list measures estimated pre-tax income from June 2014 to June 2015, and includes earnings from albums, touring, endorsements and other commercial deals.